Working With Brands: Before and During Mom 2.0

For some of us, blog conferences are a natural reflex; as soon as registration opens, we’ve got our ticket in hand, hotel secured, and travel arrangements booked. Attending blog conferences is just what we do as bloggers.

But for others, conferences are a struggle: an internal battle deciding whether or not to register, or a battle of wills between spouses, pleading your case for weeks and weeks, and doing everything in your power to explain why you want and need to inconvenience your family so you can go.

Whatever the case may be, we want to do everything in our power to make the most of our time at a conference. Lucky for us, the great Mom 2.0 folks have secured the most awesome brands as sponsors–the best of the best. And you know what? Those brands made the commitment to sponsor this conference because they want to know you.

What can—and should—you do when it comes to forging strong and meaningful relationships with these rockstar brands? We’ve got a few suggestions for you, whether you’re a conference vet or rookie:

Before the conference:

Do your research. Know what brands will be there and know which make sense for you to meet.

Make connections. Tweet them. Email them. Use whatever means that you can to thank them for coming and to show them that you are psyched to chat with them at the event.

Create a plan. Think outside the box. Have an idea about how you can partner with these brands, sharing news of their current or upcoming campaigns with your loyal fans, followers, and readers.

Order business cards. Business cards should contain your name, email, website(s), and contact information. Adding something unique—like a QR code, profile picture, or memorable image—will help brands remember you. Order more cards than you think you will need, and make sure you have them before the conference.

Pack professionally.If you want brands to take you seriously, to know that you are a professional blogger who is in it to win it, you should dress the part. That means something for each person—and there’s no ‘right’ way here—but just make sure you’re wearing something other than your yoga pants, Uggs, and hoodie.

During the conference:

Connect, connect, connect! Tweet the brands! Participate in the conference parties, contests, and sessions. Be present.

Meet the brands. For real. As in, face-to-face, shaking hands, making real-life eye contact. You can do it.

Know your elevator pitch.You have about 30 seconds to introduce yourself and to make that rockstar first impression. Your ‘elevator pitch’ should be a quick, powerful ‘this is what I do and why I rock’:

Hi, I’m Amy Mascott. On twitter, I’m @teachmama. I’m a Reading Specialist, writer, and mom of 3, and I write teachmama.com where I share ways that parents can sneak some fun learning into their children’s every day. I also run the ‘we teach’ network of over 6500 parents and teachers.

I’m Stacey Ferguson @Justice Fergie, and I inspire woman to pursue their passions by creating digital brands. I own Blogalicious, a media and events community elevating multicultural women in social media.

Remember your manners. Booths are busy. Parties are busy. Conferences are busy. So if the brand representative you want to chat with is already engaging in a conversation with another person, wait to approach them.

Find appropriate windows of opportunity. Hijacking a conference panel or workshop with your personal pitch for a brand is not cool. Sharing your monthly uniques with a brand rep in the middle of a conference party, in front of a group of bloggers, is not cool.

Listen. Turning every single conversation back to you and your last awesome blog post, printable, or media trip is not cool. Listen a little. Breathe. And find appropriate windows of opportunity.

Behave. We all like to get out a little and let loose, but if you are trying to make serious connections, to grow your business and to establish yourself as a professional blogger, then rein it in at parties and events. Know your limits. Just because there’s free alcohol doesn’t mean you have to throw a few back, especially if you rarely drink and never wear cocktail dresses and heels. It could get ugly. And we want you to rock this.

[…] and who hangs with great parents and teachers over at ‘we teach.’ She was with us pre-conference with some great tips about how to interact with sponsors to make the most of your conference experience. Now she’s back to talk about how you follow […]

Mom 2.0 Summit

2020 Mom 2.0 Summit

MAY 6-8, 2020 • Los Angeles, California
AN OPEN CONVERSATION BETWEEN MOMS + MARKETERS + MEDIA
Mom 2.0 is a gathering of influencers and leaders who create content online and on air in parenting, entertainment, food, politics, business, marketing, technology, social change, travel and design.

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Mom 2.0 Summit

MAY 6-8, 2020 • Los Angeles, California
AN OPEN CONVERSATION BETWEEN MOMS + MARKETERS + MEDIA
Mom 2.0 is a gathering of influencers and leaders who create content online and on air in parenting, entertainment, food, politics, business, marketing, technology, social change, travel and design.